Part 2

I know it's been two days since I posted the first part of this post. Sorry. Life has been on the interesting side. So, without further ado here is part 2:

The greatest need in the church of God today is that those who profess and call themselves Christians should have a life which backs up the message. "As he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation" (I Peter 1:15). When we remember that the word "conversation" means "conduct and manner of living" we find ourselves back to Colossians 2:6: "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him."
It is essential that my life should be pure and holy - essential, not optional. If I allow sin, failure, defeat and any other of the "old things" to dominate in my daily walk, then I am limiting God from beginning to end. If I go on doing this in spite of His warning, I will make a farce of my Christian walk, a fool of myself and a friend of the devil.
We have been thinking . . . of the tragedy of limiting God in what He can do for us. We have considered Deuteronomy 6:23 where it is recorded that God "brought us out . . . that he might bring us in." Verse 24 goes on to say: "And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes . . . for our good always." The whole plan and purpose of God is "for our good always". God never limits His blessing to us. The measure of God's unlimited desire to give is recorded for us in Malachi 3:10:
"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse . . . prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will no open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it!
How God longs to give! Listen to God's longing for us recorded in Deuteronomy 5:29:
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!
The tragedy of missing the blessing, of limiting God's goodness, is that it comes through our own disobedience.